


When Flowers Bloom and Die

by habituallykindablue



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Covens, Depression, M/M, Possible smut, Self Harm, Vampire AU, serial killer au-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-25 10:24:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18259376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/habituallykindablue/pseuds/habituallykindablue
Summary: In 1940s Italy, Gerard Way is a lonely trust fund baby with a love for art and flowers. Frank Iero is a vampire who’s equally as lonely.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TW: SELF HARM

Gerard would wake at sunrise everyday. He lived alone, his parents— who were both comfortable enough to fit the bourgeois label — were far off. They caught a ship, presumably to Greece, as that is where they always spoke of migrating to when Gerard was a child. They left without saying goodbye. Gerard wasn’t exactly sure if that is where they were, but he felt no qualms about not going to the police over missing persons for when he went to their home after not hearing from them in weeks, their wardrobes had been ransacked. Some Knick-knacks he had seen since childhood were gone. It was clear they left on their own terms. At least they left him his trust fund. 

Gerard, after waking up, wouldn’t take off his pajamas until midday. He’d cook his breakfast, the smell wafting out of his kitchen and into his bedroom where he would lay sprawled across the bed with his tray of food. Some days he would have a cup of juice, but mostly he preferred to brew coffee. Sometimes he’d paint while he ate, it depended on the day.

When he got up out of his pole bed he would avoid brushing his head against the flowers hanging from their stems off his bed. Each flower— carnations, roses, lilies, that sort of thing— was dried, but that was the point. Gerard liked dried flowers more than living ones because they are like ghosts. They exist, even in death. 

Maybe Gerard thought of death and decay too much. It stemmed from his own fragile sense of mortality, undoubtedly. He often found himself burning his skin on the stove top and scratching his arms with thorns. His life wasn’t all brunch and flowers and fine art. 

When he was a teenager he had a sibling. Mikey. Depression must run in the family as Mikey killed himself. They never found his body. Police said he probably filled his coat with rocks and jumped into the nearby lake. Gerard wonders if Mikey is still alive, just hiding. Perhaps he was hidden from Gerard by their parents. No. Mikey was dead. 

Gerard shook his head, warding off any thoughts of his younger brother. He didn’t need anything ruining his night.


	2. Chapter 2

Frank wore his shirt untucked. His trousers rose above his shoes, revealing his ivory skin, and he didn't bother with a tie. White shirt, black trench coat, and a black hat to match. He looked out of place walking amongst the living, their bodies appearing as silhouettes in the darkness beneath the candlelit street lamps. 

Frank often wondered what these people could possibly be doing out this late, but the only business he knew was that of his own. Was the older man with the younger woman tucked under his arm having an affair? He knew what the sordid women roaming the street corners were doing, but what about the drunk man slurring our what seemed to be words doing? What was his story? 

Frank would never know the answer and for some reason that bothered him. He'd never see any of these people ever again, so why should it cause him so much trouble? He knew why, but he'd never admit that he was lonely, in desperate need of a companion. 

This was all Pete's fault, really. If he'd never agreed to let his old school house friend to turn him into a vampire, this would never be happening. He was what, 102 years old now? And his only company has been that of Pete, Patrick, Joe, Ray, Mikey and Brendon. Ryan would more often than not show up from time to time and hang out at their "coven"— if you could even call it that. Just a bunch of lonely men sitting together in a lonely mansion Pete stole from a rich old widower. And by stole meaning, "sucked the poor old bastard's blood until the light left his eyes, buried him out back and now we have to deal with his ghost". 

It may be a lie to say it's totally lonely in the "Cavern of Darkness", as Pete calls it. Pete has Patrick (Frank really doesn't know how Patrick puts up with their leader's bullshit) and the torrid relationship Ryan and Brendon share can't be ignored. Ray is the only level headed person in that damn house, that's why Frank hangs around him out of everyone else. But tonight he was alone, stalking the streets of Italy, just looking for a bite. 

See, Frank's usual victims are people he encounters in alleyways— teenagers making out, adults making out, homeless people sleeping, even cats and rats when no one was around to drink from. He feels worse drinking from an animal rather than a human, but he needs to survive somehow. Tonight frank thought he'd shake things up. 

He'd managed to find a secret bar, just almost hidden in plain sight. It was a bar meant for homosexual men. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. It's like the world was screaming "You're all alone, go find someone!" But Frank told himself he wanted to be alone. 

When Frank walked through the door, he didn't hang up his hat or take off his coat. He wasn't there to make friends, but to find a victim. That's it. 

"Bartender." He said walking towards the bar. 

"What can I get you?" The sandy blond haired man asked. 

"Just a glass of water."

"Water? That's it?"

Frank shot daggers at him. "You heard me." 

The bartender walked away and Frank scanned the room. It was full of men, but fuck, one man in particular caught his eye and he reevaluated his status of a bachelor, begrudgingly of course. 

"Here's your water."

Frank mumbled 'thanks'

The man was clad in dark trousers and a white button up shirt untucked, no suspenders. But what stood out was that the man had dark hair that hovered right above his shoulders— what a strange haircut! Frank liked it. He can imagine pulling on those chocolate locks as he fucks him from behind. 

Frank likes him too much. He has to die.

Frank abandoned his drink and walked towards the man who was currently looking over the room himself. A wallflower. 

"Hey." Frank said to the man. 

"Hi...?" He responded. 

"Am I bothering you?"

"No!" The man exclaimed. "I'm just not used to people talking to me. Sorry if I seem standoffish." 

Frank shrugged. "You're good. Hey, how about we take this conversation outside?" He suggested. 

"You don't even know my name."

"Well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Frank, and you are...?" 

The man smiled, showing off his small teeth. "Gerard."

"Well then, Gerard," Frank said, "how about we take this conversation outside?”

"Yeah, okay."

Gerard took Frank's hand and led him through the crowd of men and out through the door. The air was salty and felt thick, like it could be split in half with a knife. Gerard led Frank down the street then turned down an empty alleyway. ‘This is isn’t a hook up’, Frank thought, ‘just another kill.’

Frank wasted no time pushing Gerard against the brick wall. Gerard began kissing him with a closed mouth. Frank took off his trench coat, letting it hit the ground and let his hands trail down to Gerard's hips before snapping back to reality. Kill. Kill. Kill. 

Frank's mouth made its way to Gerard's neck and he opened his mouth, his fangs out. Gerard gasped and pushed frank off him. Fuck. Frank wasn't quick enough to bite him and the other man had felt the scrape of his fangs running across his neck. 

Frank didn't have enough time to deal with this so what did he do? Run. He heard Gerard calling for him, but he once again became a lonely shadow in the night. 

Frank guesses rats will have to do tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Gerard screamed. It was a scream one would scream when they found out their "hookup" was a vampire. His voice echoed out in his flat and he heard an annoyed voice from above telling him to shut up. 

He tried to call after Frank back at that alleyway— he wanted to talk to him, he really did, but he ran away so fast and Gerard didn't have the emotional capacity to process what was going on. He could only cluelessly call for the other man, still not aware of what had happened. 

But looking back on last night, when he felt those sharp white teeth graze over his pale skin, he first felt fear, causing him to push Frank off. But then, almost right after, he felt euphoric. Like an addict taking a swig of alcohol after not having a drink for a year. It was horrifying. It was repulsive. It was sensual. 

'Becoming a vampire would ease all my troubles', Gerard thought as he ran his fingers over the burn marks and cuts on his forearm. He'd be like his dryed flowers— a woken corpse. But not like the ones Gerard had seen in the films, ones like Frank. Frank was handsome and, from what Gerard could tell, charismatic. And a killer vampire, can't leave that one out. 

After Mikey died, Gerard had developed a fear of death. Above all he fears what comes after death. He'd for sure go to Hell. He doesn’t want to die. Ever. Now that he knows blood-suckers are real, this is an opportunity to avoid his fear. To never get a visit from the grim reaper would be something from the kindest of dreams.

Gerard sighed. It hadn't even been 24 hours since the "incident". At least he wasn't left only with memories of chaste kisses and wondering hands. He clutched the black trench coat Frank left behind. Inside one of the pockets was a tourist attraction map with certain areas circled or x-ed out. In another pocket was a pack of cigarettes— Meraviglioso's. Gerard had never seen this particular brand of smokes anywhere. It was as if they didn't exist. 

Gerard heaved a heavier sigh than previously as he analyzed all of evidence, which he had displayed on his round kitchen table. Not only were these pieces of "evidence" his holy grail, but his ticket to immortality. 

Gerard's hands glossed over the items one last time before he threw himself down on the lounge, his head hanging over the arm of the couch. He blew a strand of hair out of his face with an intense look plastered on his face. He's going to find Frank and he's going to have Frank turn him.

Hey, he's already one step ahead of the game as he already has a name. Frank. A name with endless meanings. Gerard pondered the meaning of his own name. Spear-Hard. It was a meaning with underlying bravery. 'Endless Bravery', Gerard thought. He and Frank could be powerful together. 

Ah fuck, he has a crush on the man that tried to kill him. Way to go, Gee. He doesn't even know if Frank's attraction to him was superficial or not. He doesn't know if Frank just wanted him dead— thought of him as dinner. 

Gerard couldn’t help but laugh. He was almost a vampire's next meal. A vampire he will find.


	4. Chapter 4

For the past 5 hours, Frank has been getting chided over leaving a mortal alive. 

"So you just left him there?" Pete yelled. 

Frank had finally cracked. A mere 5 hours earlier he was kissing his next victim in an alleyway. Now, he's back at the mansion being yelled at by their leader. He was going to keep it a secret, but he let it slip as soon as he got home. 

"I had no choice! He realized what I am too quickly." Frank yelled back.

Pete ran his hands through this hair, "Fuck..." 

"Pete, man, it's not a big deal. It's still dark, he probably just barley saw Frank's face." Ray said as he tuned his acoustic guitar. 

Pete let his head hit the back on the loveseat, frustrated. 

"Yeah, Ray is right. And where'd you even meet him? A secret bar? He won't risk going to the police if it means he might lose his freedom." Patrick added. 

"Hey, you're my boyfriend, you're supposed to be on my side!" Pete exclaimed. 

"There are no sides. Frank made an honest mistake. We all have." 

Pete gave him a look. "Patrick."

"Pete!" Patrick almost yelled. "I'm just saying worse things have happened here. God, have some compassion." 

Pete went quiet for a few moments, his eyes studying the tall cathedral ceiling above him. He fiddled with his fingers and the buttons on his shirt meanwhile.

"It's quiet now. Does that mean mom and dad are done fighting?" Mikey said from where he sat in the corner of the couch. 

"Mikey, shut the fuck up I'm thinking." Pete said. 

"No. Frank you screwed up, but that's okay. Nothing will ever even come out of this."

Frank sat down in one of the living chairs, his head hanging low, his eyes burning holes in his shoes. He wasn't ashamed, just tired after a long night. Frank took off his shoes and socks, which he had been wearing for hours, only to realize he forgot his coat. He left it with Gerard. 

He's going to keep that to himself. 

"Ok, ok, maybe I was being too harsh," Pete chimed in. "But you still have to find him and kill him. Rules are rules." 

"Out of everyone here you're the last person to care about rules, Pete." Joe said. 

"Do you at least have his name?" Pete asked, ignoring Joe. 

"Gerard. His name is Gerard."

Mikey let out a slow and quiet gasp. Luckily for him he didn't catch anyone's attention. Mikey knew it was his Gerard. His brother. He knows Gerard is gay and frequented "secret bars" as a teenager. His parents would always get so mad when he came home at the break of dawn, partied out. It seems nothing changed. This isn't a coincidence. 

Mikey almost began to panic. It's been a few weeks since he had followed Gerard anywhere. He does this occasionally after his "birth to darkness" just to see how his older brother is doing. He knows their parents had left the country and that he had no one. 

He has to save his brother.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you've never seen this brand?" Gerard said to the cashier while holding up the pack of half empty Meraviglioso's cigarettes he found in Frank's coat pocket. 

"Kid, I've been smoking longer than you've been alive. Never seen 'em," the cashier stated bluntly in his raspy voice. 

"Are you positive?" 

"Buy something or get the hell out."

Gerard huffed and walked out of the store defeated, the little door bell chiming in his ears. This was the fourth place in town he's looked and he was running out of places to look and people to ask. 

Sighing, he sat down on the curbside. It had officially been two days— almost three as it was nearing midnight— since his encounter with the vampire. It felt as though it had only happened hours ago. Maybe that was a side effect of almost being bit. Or perhaps it was Gerard's own feelings towards the vampire rearing it's head. 

Gerard studied the pack of cigarettes to pass time. On the white packaging was a large, red dragon with long black whiskers. The dragon's underside was gold, just like the yellow rose he hung up earlier in the day. In front of the dragon it read, "MERAVIGLIOSO". The back was nothing special. Just the contents. 

Gerard felt like crying, so he did. He was alone on the streets with nothing but the company of candle lit lamps lining road. He didn't have friends, they all fell out of touch when he left school. He didn't have a boyfriend either— only quickies in strange homes with even stranger men. Maybe he just attracts weirdos. Hell, he's a freak himself. At least that's what they called him on the school yard. He can remember Mikey was the more popular of the two, which is saying something because Mikey was always a shy kid. Gerard, in the midst of crying, gave a small smile at the thought of his brother. 

As if the world had supernatural timing, Gerard heard a voice. Mikey's voice. 

"Gerard?" 

"What the hell? Mikey?" Gerard wiped his eyes and looked around. There beside him he saw his brother, who was once presumed dead, looking down on him. 

"I thought— we thought— you killed yourself." Gerard sobbed harder. "What the fuck is happening?"

"Look Gerard, you need to leave the country. Fuck, leave the continent."

Gerard's crying never ceased. "W-why?"

"Look, I am apart of a coven full of people who I... dislike strongly. I made a mistake. Can you see me? Can you see my body?"

"You still look 17."

"I should look 21. But I fucked up by letting them turn me."

Gerard's eyes widened. "You're a—?"

"A vampire? Yeah."

"Gerard stood up, stumbling. "I'm hurting, Mikey, I'm hurting so fucking much."

“I know,” Mikey replied pulling him into a brotherly hug. 

Gerard shook. “Turn me.” 

“Hell no.”

“DO IT!” Gerard exclaimed. 

“Gerard...”

“Please,” he pleaded. “Do it.”

There was a pregnant pause before Mikey spoke. 

“Come with me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any errors I’m a dumbass. I’ve been wanting to write mcr fanfic for... 5 years now? I’m finally getting around to it. Hope you’re enjoying it so far!


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